Marvis Toothpaste Review

You’re most likely to find Marvis toothpastes in a luxe homewares store, men’s fashion store or groovy barber shop than the personal care section of a retail outlet. This Italian brand has distinguished itself by its quirky - its website states cheeky and ironic - somewhat masculine and luxe appeal.

In the past year they’ve revved up their marketing and if you’re not following them on instagram @marvis_is, do! Their graphic design collabs are pure joyful entertainment :-)

Let’s see how I found the performance of this toothpaste.

Taste

Specifically I’m reviewing the cinnamon mint flavour. Marvis’ range of flavours include strong mint along with other interesting mint blends including ginger, licorice and jasmin. The flavour is intense but pleasant.

Image credit: amazon.com. Accessed 26/04/19

Cinnamon, ginger and jasmin are intriguing twists on stereotypical mint flavouring of toothpaste. I’d be keen to work my way through the flavour menu. If you struggle with strong mint flavours this is not the toothpaste for you.

I give Marvis toothpaste taste a score of 4 out of 5.

Look and feel

Marvis toothpaste offers a traditional creamy white paste that will be familiar to most.

Packaging is a durable plastic tube that’s unlikely to breakdown ever. The old-world silver guild-like branding with a pop of modern colour is guaranteed to generate curious conversation if yours is on display in your bathroom when guests come over.

I give Marvis toothpaste a look and feel score of 5 out of 5.

Ingredients

Marvis don’t list their ingredients on the packaging. I’ve obtained these from distribution websites selling the toothpaste.

Image credit: google.com. Accessed 26/04/19

Imge credit: amazon.com. Accessed 26/04/19

The ingredients list appears fairly similar to many stock-standard supermarket toothpastes. Their Amazon page mentioned xylitol as an ingredient, a beneficial prebiotic and anti-caries ingredient and a good substitute when fluoride is not being included, the case with this toothpaste.

Silica is being used as an abrasive, the concentration remains unknown (see below for impact). Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is also in this product.

I give Marvis toothpaste an ingredient score of 3 out of 5. Don’t make me work to find out what’s in the product and ADA recommendations currently include fluoride in toothpastes for teeth cavity protection.

Health benefit vs risk factor

I can tell you I didn’t get teeth sensitivity after a week of using this toothpaste twice daily with a standard electric toothbrush - my litmus test for how abrasive a toothpaste is. This is good news for the long-term protection of tooth enamel and tooth root surface integrity.

What I did get was swollen sensitive gums. Increasingly I cannot tolerate SLS and aluminium hydroxide (often included in deodorants) on my skin and as I’m finding out, on my gums either. I’ve given this toothpaste a break and come back to it for further test weeks over the past few months and each time my gums swell up. I’d recommending avoiding this toothpaste if, like me, you have skin sensitivities or known hypersensitivity to SLS.

Marvis promotes this toothpaste as being gluten and paraben-free for those with sensitivities to these products.

I give Marvis toothpaste health vs risk factor a score of 3 out of 5. There are a few allergen red flag ingredients in this formulation.

Sustainability

Marvis promotes its toothpastes as vegan and cruelty-free ie not tested on animals. The packaging can be recycled although only via dedicated specialised organisations such as Terracycle in Australia. Many dental surgeries often have a collection bin for this purpose.

The other ingredients are low-risk to the environment. Unless you have a sensitivity to one of the ingredients, this toothpaste is safe for daily use long-term.

I give Marvis toothpaste sustainability a score of 4 out of 5. The extra step required to recycle the finished tube will mean many will end up in landfill for ever more.

Price

In Australia Marvis toothpaste retails for between $11-15 for an 85mL tube. It appears you’re definitely paying extra for luxe brand feels compared to similar offered in a supermarket. But hey, if that provides the incentive to brush and with more enjoyment, that’s money well spent!

I give Marvis toothpaste price a score of 4 out of 5.

Total score

Marvis toothpaste gets a total score of 23 out of 30.

This toothpaste is a funky addition to most bathrooms. Give it a whirl unless you have sensitive skin. Let me know how you find it.

By Dr Christine May, dentist and blogger. All opinions are my own with some occasional input from my non-dentist partner for a comparative perspective. Enjoy!